Differential cognitive responses to guqin music and piano music in Chinese subjects: an event-related potential study

目的 研究古琴(一种古老的中国乐器)和钢琴音乐对认知的影响.方法 记录和分析了中国被试在两种音乐背景(古琴音乐,钢琴音乐)下完成听觉oddball任务的行为和事件相关电位(event-related potential,ERP)数据.结果 中国被试在本土文化的音乐环境(古琴音乐)下,前额区诱导出更大的P300,这一结果和已有的相关研究是相符的.同时,不同音乐背景对ERP产生的影响在N1和LPC(包括P300和P500)上也表现出差别:中国被试在古琴音乐背景下比钢琴音乐背景下表现出更多的右前侧颞叶的参与.结论 因为古琴音乐的五声调式和汉语发音的音调具有对应关系,因此我们推断在古琴音乐下所表现出的这种特性与被试的汉语环境有关.

Crossmodal effects of Guqin and piano music on selective attention: An event-related potential study

To compare the effects of music from different cultural environments (Guqin: Chinese music; piano: Western music) on crossmodal selective attention, behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data in a standard two-stimulus visual oddball task were reco

Crossmodal effects of Guqin and piano music on selective attention: An event-related potential study (vol 466, pg 21, 2009)

Special thanks to Christopher Blair and Mumtaz Baig for their suggestions. This work was supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2007CB411600), National Natural Science Foundation of China (30621092), and Bureau of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province.

Dialogue for bass clarinet and bassoon

This work specifically focuses on the lower register of both instruments, an area I've been led to explore as a result of my profound high frequency hearing loss. It was selected for performance following an international competitive call for scores and premiered at the 16th London New Wind Festival, 22nd November 2013. It was performed by Phil Edwards (bass clarinet) and Glyn Williams (bassoon).

GABRIEL URBAIN FAURÉ, THE UNSUNG MODERNIST: A PERFORMANCE SURVEY OF SELECTED LATE WORKS WRITTEN AFTER 1892 FOR PIANO SOLO, AND PIANO IN COLLABORATION WITH VIOLIN, VIOLONCELLO, AND VOICE

Gabriel Urbain Fauré lived during one of the most exciting times in music history. Spanning a life of 79 years (1845-1924), he lived through the height of Romanticism and the experimental avant-garde techniques of the early 20th century. In Fauré's music, one can find traces of Chopin, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Debussy and Poulenc. One can even argue that Fauré presages Skryabin and Shostakovich. The late works of Gabriel Fauré, chiefly those composed after 1892, testify to the argument that Fauré holds an important position in the shift from tonal to atonal composition and should be counted among such transitional composers as Gustav Mahler, Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Richard Strauss, and Ferruccio Busoni. Fauré's unique way of fashioning harmonic impetus of almost purely linear means, resulting in a synthesis of harmonic and melodic devices, led me to craft the term mélodoharmonique. This term refers to a contrapuntally motivated technique of composition, particularly in a secondary layer of musical texture, in which a component of harmonic progression (i.e. arpeggiation, broken chord, etc.) is fused with linear motivic or thematic development. This dissertation seeks to bring to public attention through exploration in lecture and recital format, certain works of Gabriel Fauré, written after 1892. The repertoire will be selected from works for solo piano and piano in collaboration with violin, violoncello, and voice, which support the notion of Fauré as a modernist deserving larger recognition for his influence in the transition to atonal music. The recital repertoire includes the following--Song Cycles: La bonne chanson, opus 61; La chanson d'Ève, opus 95; Le jardin clos, opus 106; Mirages, opus 113; L'horizon chimérique, opus 118; Piano Works: Prelude in G minor opus 103, No. 3; Prelude in E minor opus 103, No. 9; Eleventh Nocturne, opus 104, No.1; Thirteenth Nocturne, opus 119; Chamber Works: Second Violin Sonata, opus 108; First Violoncello Sonata, opus 109; Second Violoncello Sonata, opus 117.

The Interloping Beguiler: for Bass Clarinet and Orchestra

The Interloping Beguiler is an nineteen-minute concerto in four movements for bass clarinet solo and orchestra. The title refers to the role of the solo instrument, which continually thrusts itself into the affairs of the orchestra, deceiving and diverting the members of the orchestra away from their task of performing a "serious" orchestral composition. The bass clarinet portrays a comical, cartoon-like character whose awkward, and sometimes goofy, interjections cause chaos. Attempts are made by various members of the orchestra, especially the horns, to regain control of the work, but the bass clarinet always succeeds in its distracting antics. By the final movement of the composition, the bass clarinet has propelled the work into a cartoon-like landscape of quickly changing textures, dissonant intervals, and overlapping themes. The first movement, Introduction, sets the serious tone of the music to follow, or so it would seem. The entrance of the bass clarinet immediately changes this texture with its out-of-rhythm alternations between high and low pitches. This gesture provides a glimpse into the personality of the bass clarinet, an instrument here to mislead the members of the orchestra. Deception truly begins in the second movement, The Interloping Initiates. The bass clarinet starts the movement with a driving theme and is immediately supported by the orchestra. As the movement progresses, the bass clarinet quickly begins altering the theme, making it more playful and cartoonish. A struggle ensues between the horns and the bass clarinet, with the bass clarinet catapulting the piece into a latin-inspired section. The struggle continues through to the end of the movement. The third movement, Calm, is exactly what the title suggests. A sectional form distinguishes this movement from the second movement. Throughout Calm, the bass clarinet behaves with decorum, except for very large melodic leaps. The seed of anarchy planted by the bass clarinet in the second movement comes to fruition in the final movement, The Beguiling Builds. Here, the bass clarinet sends the work into chaos with sections recalling Looney Tunes cartoons, Hollywood western music, and children's folk songs.

TALLY HORN! ECHOES OF HOOFBEATS AND HAUNTS: RECORDED SELECTIONS FOR HORN AND PIANO

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the European hunting horn was an instrument associated with the thrill of the chase, rustic scenes, and the pageantry of royal hunts. The sound of this horn and the music that evolved from its heritage would inspire composers writing for the modern horn. TALLY HOrn! Echoes of Hoofbeats and Haunts: Recorded Selections for Horn and Piano are two compact discs of works for horn and piano as well as solo horn reflecting this association with the hunt and include additional works of expressive contrast – lyrical pieces and nocturnes. Nine of the pieces reflect the modern horn’s beginnings and they are Abbot’s Alla Caccia, Berge’s Horn-Lokk, Boutry’s Chassacor, Bozza’s En Fôret, Büsser’s La Chasse de St. Hubert, Pessard’s In the Forest, Piantoni’s Air de Chasse, Schmid’s Im Tiefsten Walde, and Vinter’s Hunter’s Moon. By contrast, three of the selections, Gliére’s Nocturne, Strauss’ Nocturno, and Van Ecchaute’s Nachtpoëma are nocturnes that showcase the expressive quality of the horn. In addition, Bush’s Autumn Poem, Bacon’s Song After the Rain, and Webber’s Summer Pastures are included for their lyric qualities and evocations of nature. The largest work of the project is John Williams’s Concerto for Horn. Its five movements feature both hunting horn traits and expressive qualities. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez and Grace Cho were the two pianists engaged for the recording. The recording engineer was Edward Kelly. The producer was Carlos Rodriquez. The pieces were recorded at the Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church sanctuary in Spencerville, Maryland between November 2010 and February 2011.

THE LESSER-KNOWN PIANO CHAMBER MUSIC OF CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS: A RECORDING PROJECT

Throughout his long and industrious lifetime, Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) devoted himself unconditionally to music both as a composer and a performer. Saint-Saens was a self-described traditionalist and musical purist, yet his works are distinctly expressive and imaginative, and they reflect the composer's own unique musical language which incorporates recognizably modem traits such as chromaticism and frequent modulation. As a performer, Saint-Saens preferred to premiere his own works and often included his chamber music in his concert programs. Regarded primarily as a symphonic composer in the present day, however, his extensive and varied collection of chamber music works is sadly neglected. Six varied small-ensemble works with piano from his chamber music repertoire have been selected for study and recording for this project: Piano Trio No. 1 in F Major, Op. 18 (1864); Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 inC Minor, Op. 32 (1872); two pieces for two pianos, Le Rouet d'Omphale (The Spinning Wheel ofOmphale), Op. 31 (1871) and Phaeton, Op. 39 (1874); piano duet Konig Harald Haifagar (King Harald Haarfager), Op. 59 (1880); and a wind quartet, Caprice sur des airs Danois et Russes (Caprice on Danish and Russian Airs) for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet and Piano, Op. 79 (1887). Analyses of the forms and harmonic structures of these compositions will be included in this dissertation paper as well as studies from the viewpoint of Saint-Saens' compositional style, ensemble characteristics, and writing for the piano. The recordings for this project were made in four sessions in LeFrak Concert Hall at Queens College, the City University of New York. On September 24, 2003, Op. 31, Op. 39 and Op. 59 were recorded with Professor Morey Ritt, piano. On March 2, 2004, Op. 18 was recorded with Elena Rojas, violin, and Clare Liu, cello, and on March 15, 2004, Op. 32 was recorded, also with Ms. Liu. The Caprice, Op. 79 was recorded on June 27, 2008 with Laura Conwesser, flute; Randall Wolfgang, oboe; and Steve Hartman, clarinet. The recordings may be found on file in the library at the University of Maryland, College Park.

AMERICAN WOMEN COMPOSERS: SELECTED PUBLISHED WORKS FOR FLUTE AND PIANO AND FOR UNACCOMPANIED FLUTE COMPOSED BETWEEN 1930 AND 2008

The music of women composers often comprises only a small percentage of flutists‘ repertoire, yet there are actually many active women composers, many of whom have written for the flute. The aim of this dissertation is to chronicle a selection of works by several American women composers that have contributed to accessible flute repertoire. For the purpose of this dissertation, accessibility is described by the following parameters: works that limit the use of extended techniques, works that are suitable for performers from high school through a reasonably advanced level, works that are likely to elicit emotionally musical communication from the performer to the listener, and works that are reasonably available through music stores or outlets on the Internet that have a fairly comprehensive reach to the general public. My subjective judgment also played a role in the final selection of the 25 works included as part of this dissertation, and performed on three musically well-balanced recitals. A variety of resources were consulted for the repertoire, including Boenke‘s Flute Music by Women Composers: An Annotated Catalog, and the catalogs of publishers such as Arsis Press and Hildegard Publishing, both of which specialize in the music of women composers. The works performed and discussed are the following: Adrienne Albert – Sunswept; Marion Bauer – Prelude and Fugue, Op. 43.; Marilyn Bliss – Lament; Ann Callaway – Updraft; Ruth Crawford – Diaphonic Suite; Emma Lou Diemer – Sonata; Vivian Fine – Emily’s Images; Cynthia Folio – Arca Sacra; Nancy Galbraith – Atacama; Lita Grier – Sonata; Jennifer Higdon – The Jeffrey Mode; Edie Hill – This Floating World; Katherine Hoover – Masks; Mary Howe – Interlude between Two Pieces; Laura Kaminsky – Duo; Libby Larsen – Aubade; Alex Shapiro – Shiny Kiss; Judith Shatin – Coursing Through the Still Green; Faye-Ellen Silverman – Taming the Furies; Augusta Read Thomas – Euterpe’s Caprice; Joan Tower – Valentine Trills; Ludmila Ulehla – Capriccio; Elizabeth Vercoe – Kleemation; Gwyneth Walker – Sonata; and Judith Lang Zaimont – ‘Bubble-Up’ Rag. All of these works are worthy alternatives to the more frequently played flute repertoire, and they serve as a good starting point for anyone interested i n exploring the works of women composers.